Foods that we eat...

I love all animals and am working towards being a full vegetarian. I certainly wouldn't cook a slab of raw red meat or raw chicken but do, at the moment, eat sausage, bacon and mince beef and frozen fish, but not very often- usually when family stay over.

However, I don't understand how (some) vegetarians can justify eating fish; they feel pain too and die a horrible death out of the water. Also, why do vegetarians want to eat foods disguised as meat- veggie sausages, burgers etc. I also look at my cat and think that some poor animal died to feed her, and calves are denied their mother's milk so humans can drink it. I agree it's a cruel world, especially if you are an animal.

farview I understand how you feel.
I am slowly becoming vegetarian, I now eat only chicken and fish.

I personally think, as person who once ate most types of meat and fish, that I saw the meat in the butchers or the supermarket as something completely different from the animal in the field Iyswim.

My Dh view is that humans are carnivores with teeth suitsble for eating meat.
Humans have hunted animals since the time of the caveman.

Wild animals hunt and eat their pray and need to provide food for their young.
We are part of a food chain.

I don't understand how you get your protein if you don't eat meat. We eat eggs, cheese, tinned fish at lunchtimes, so what would we eat at dinner time? If it was just me I'd just eat a bowl of rice pud or something, I could do without red meat at least, but I've got to feed DH.

I just don't get how you do it.

My conscience constantly plagues me about eating animals when it's not necessary, and they aren't even treated well before being slaughtered in a lot of cases.

I do try to just bury my head in the sand, and dont ever eat anything that still has legs or wings attached.

I don't eat much meat.

I don't fish, kill or butcher the meat I do eat.

I meant to add, nobody is allowed to talk about the meat we're eating whilst we're eating it.
My grandson once said something about a chicken being killed whilst we were having dinner, and I had to spit out my mouthful and throw my dinner away.

No, I don't DIY it either.

It does connect to lived experience. I was raised in farming and am married to a farmer, plus we’re involved in game shooting and fishing. It’s what we know. I’ve just frozen half a lamb that was raised organically about 500 yards from where it will be eaten with respect and appreciation. However, I also choose to not eat meat or dairy on at least two days a week because I believe in balance. That’s my story, I respect that of others.

That is frankly disgusting MissAdventure.

What is?

Im a meat eater and I’m not ashamed of it . I have no issue with people who want to be vegan or vegetarian but I’m not prepared to join you .

I respect your views so why is it so hard to respect mine I wonder ?

I remember reading in 'Laurel's Kitchen' that she became vegetarian after looking at a calf on its way to market.
It was my first vegetarian cookbook; still used for 4 decades although I gave up being vegetarian a few years ago.

I used to live on a main road near a freezing works (slaughter house) and it upset me a lot, genuinely. I hated seeing the animals go past, crammed into trucks and bleating with fear. Hated it.

But I was brought up to eat meat and whilst I eat very little now, that's not because of any outside influences.

I have a friend who says: 'There are vegetarians who follow that path for the health of the animal and vegetarians who follow for their own health.' I'm the latter.

Maybe I'm particularly hard-hearted but looking into the eyes of a wee piglet doesn't stop me liking bacon.

It's not a case of "loving or not loving animals" - if it was, then we'd have a league table.

Dear little fluffy lambs - love them, too cute to eat.
Bullocks - not so cute, a bit stroppy, might have a steak.
Haddock - who can love a haddock? Pass the lemon wedges.

People simply don't think like that.

In my experience, people care much more about the conditions animals are kept in and reared.

And why should the death of the animal be the focus or point of vegetarianism?
We all die eventually and death is no big deal.

Yes, I know very well that death in a slaughterhouse is horrific and frightening to the animal - so is death on the hills if a sheep is cast and can't get up. So is being pulled down by lions.

Animals, like people, rarely die peacefully. But horrific human death has never stopped wars or cruelty either.
Cause and effect doesn't work here.

How an animals is treated when it's alive is, to me at least, the biggest issue.

My grandson once said something about a chicken being killed whilst we were having dinner, and I had to spit out my mouthful

This was MissAdventure - my children or indeed grandchildren would have been sent out of the room.
There is no excuse for that sort of table manners.

He was only 3!!

It's not a case of "loving or not loving animals" - if it was, then we'd have a league table
Dear little fluffy lambs - love them, too cute to eat.
Bullocks - not so cute, a bit stroppy, might have a steak.
Haddock - who can love a haddock? Pass the lemon wedges
In my experience, people care much more about the conditions animals are kept in and reared

Well put Bradfordlass !
A refreshing antidote to the sweet fluffy ickle lambkins mentality.
I have every respect for those who choose not to eat meat/fish/broccoli (that’s me) but looking into my dog’s eyes does not come into the equation.

Not his table manners MissAdventure - yours.

I don't think removing a mouthful of food into a tissue is particularly bad manners, Maw.
Particularly if swallowing it was likely to make me vomit.

Well that's ok then Weekendvisit if you don't do the actual killing of the animal. Strange logic,
I agree with Nana&Grampy I'm a meat eater and not ashamed of that, I respect the views of others who don't.
Your post was disingenuous to say the least Farview.

Then why embellish the story?

My grandson once said something about a chicken being killed whilst we were having dinner, and I had to spit out my mouthful
As an adult, do you not have more self control? What an example to set a child.

Nobody is allowed to talk about the meat while we are eating it Whyever would you except to say that it tasted good?

People happily eat chicken while avoiding larger animals. Cheap chicken comes from awful places and lead a much less pleasant life. Eat good local meat is the better way.

sodapop.....my post was sincere..I don't understand your comment

Not arguing with you, Maw, much as you'd obviously like to.

We have far less meat than we used to and far less than what we were both brought up to. When we were young you had to eat what you were given so meat eating was the norm. However with an eye to health we choose more non meat meals than we used to and I'm getting better at creating tasty vegetarian meals. Things like curries and chilli lend themselves quite nicely to vegetarian recipes. I am not missing red meat at all and I dont buy meat products like pork pies etc (despite living in Pork Pie town). DH would go fully veg tomorrow but would miss fish- so we just try to do our best.

I am untroubled by eating meat, but I am very particular about animal welfare. Farm animals should have a life that is better than animals in the wild, and those raised organically or on Pasture for Life farms do. They have freedom to roam and eat their natural food, they are treated when they are ill, have help with giving birth and then have a short sharp end and I eat them.

I would not and do not buy meat reared in intensive systems or any that give animals poor living conditions, I rarely eat meat when out because I do not know the provenance of the meat.

I would not eat a cat or dog because they are carnivores and I understand that that taints the flesh and, inevitably there is a taboo in this country about eating such animals and I have been as inculcated by that taboo as anyone. But at times of food stress people have eaten pet rabbits without compunction.